The present invention relates in general to a bullet starter for loading bullets into a barrel of a muzzle loading firearm, and in particular to a bullet starter that can be employed to load conical hollow-point bullets without distorting the points of the bullets as they are forced with impact into the distal end of the barrel.
The sport of hunting using muzzle loading firearms is a very popular activity among many people. In addition to the actual task of hunting various animals, the muzzle-loader hunter has the added challenges of using a muzzle loading firearm in order to finally achieve the goal of his hunt. A primary challenge in using this type of gun is the necessity of loading gun powder and an individual conical bullet into the distal end of the barrel for each discharge. Because a typical barrel is constructed with significant rifling grooves along its inner wall and also is consistent in diameter with the caliber of a bullet to be loaded, loading a bullet must be accomplished with a considerable impact-force in order to achieve a successful entry of the bullet into the barrel. Such loading is accomplished using a bullet starter that has an impact member which is placed against the distal tip of the bullet and is then struck to force the bullet into the barrel. Once a successful entry is accomplished, the lateral surface of the bullet will have the rifling grooves cut therein, thereby allowing the bullet to be slid deeper into the barrel with minimal external pressure until placement is such that a triggered discharge can be entertained.
Two types of conical bullets are generally available for use in muzzle loading firearms. These two types are defined by the configurations of their respective distal ends which are either solid point or hollow point in design. While both solid-point and hollow-point bullets are available, the only bullet starter available, however, is one having an impact member that is concave in shape. This concave shape works well when impacting a solid-point bullet during its loading into the barrel. However, when this concave shape is employed for loading a hollow-point bullet, which has only a small amount of lead at its nose, the point of the bullet becomes distorted and deformed when impacted since the concave configuration is not complimentary to the hollow point design. When this occurs, projectile irregularities and inconsistencies result. Conversely, as is well-recognized, consistency and accuracy in shooting a firearm is of utmost importance, both for safety considerations and for target contact. One factor contributing to such optimum discharge performance is a bullet having little or no deformation on its surface.
Therefore, it is apparent that a need is present for a bullet starter that can be employed to properly and effectively load hollow-point bullets into the barrel of a muzzle loading firearm. Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a bullet starter having an impact member compatible in configuration with the nose of a hollow-point bullet.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bullet starter having a pin that fits inside the hollow point of the bullet without contacting the outside of the nose of the bullet.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a bullet starter having interchangeable pins to thereby be useful in loading bullets having hollow points of different calibers.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the description of the invention which now follows.